Culture Shock
by Rjalker
Summary: Master Eraqus wasn't worried when when the Lanes Between closed unexpectedly, forcing Master Xehanort to extend his visit for a few days. The worlds were fickle, their movements erratic. He had no reason to suspect that the sudden isolation would damage one of his students so severely. No reason to suspect such violence from any of his students, and especially not from Aqua...


Aqua closed her eyes, and breathed in slowly through her mouth.

She could taste fear, and frustration, and anger. The smells coated her tongue like a weight.

She breathed out.

And drew in another slow breath.

Hunger.

It constricted around her lungs, making every breath she took feel too light, too empty, to hold.

She'd been taught about windigos her entire life. Her Uncle Barden was even one. She'd just never thought she'd become one.

She breathed in again, and felt the hollowness in her chest. How many days had it been? Three was how long you were supposed to wait. After three days, if the situation hadn't improved, then it was acceptable. No one would fault her. And since none of the others seemed inclined towards violence, that meant that it was her responsibility.

She opened her eyes, and stared up at the ceiling above her head, her hands clenching at her sides.

There was no other choice. She was prepared to make this sacrifice.

She'd sorted through all the possible options.

Ventus was still too young, and she wouldn't have considered him even if he were old enough.

Then there was Terra, where age wasn't a problem. But they were friends, and had been for almost a year now. She couldn't give that up so easily.

Without Master Eraqus, neither she, nor Terra, nor Ven, could ever hope to become Keyblade Masters.

Which left just one option.

And it made sense. Master Xehanort had no more apprentices, and from what he'd said, he wouldn't be looking for anymore anytime soon. As far as Aqua knew, he didn't even have any former apprentices to miss him. And besides that, he wasn't particularly wise, or kind, and Aqua had never liked the way he looked at Ven when he thought no one was watching.

There was a hunger in his eyes, however hard he tried to hide it.

Aqua's mind was made up. But her conviction wasn't the problem.

She...wasn't sure if she'd be able to beat him. He was a Master, and had been for years, and she hadn't even been training for a full year yet. How could she hope to take him down?

She closed her eyes again, and took another slow breath.

Hope was all she had, and all that she needed.

Even if she couldn't win, even if she didn't survive, the problem would still be solved. Her goal was to keep her friends alive, and if she couldn't be alive with them, well, at least she'd tried. It didn't matter if it was her, or Master Xehanort in the end. If someone didn't do something soon, it would be too late for all of them.

When she opened her eyes again, they were hard as steel.

She was willing to die. But that didn't mean she was going to go down easily. If she was going to fight, she was fighting to win.

She sat up, and swung her legs to the floor. She hadn't bothered changing into her nightgown, and the metal of her shoes clinked softly when they connected with the wooden floor.

She was going to need all the help she could get.

Feeling the shaking in her limbs, the swaying exhaustion hovering threateningly at the edge of her mind, she slowly raised her right hand, and held it out front of her, beckoning without a word.

Her Keyblade appeared in a flicker of light that was barely comparable to a candle's glow, a fraction of what it usually was. It could sense her unease, her sorrow that it had come to this.

Rainfell, that was the name of this Keyblade. It was twilight and calm, and silence but for the sound of raindrops bouncing off the roof, and leaving the lights off until the last of the sun's rays had disappeared, because she wanted to watch the rainbows glinting in water droplets on the windows.

She'd been named after Water, and her Keyblade had taken on its symbol.

She never thought she would see the day she became a Flying Type

Rainfell glinted in the dimness, and she watched in silence as the metal became like liquid, the colors melting into one another, the soft curves tapering off into hard corners and jagged lines.

This weapon wasn't for friendly sparring and carefree training, not anymore.

A wave of dizziness threatened to wash over her, and she closed her eyes and clenched her hands into the sheets of her bed, waiting for it to pass.

When it did, she opened her eyes, and glared into the darkness of her room.

She was wasting time, procrastinating, and she knew it too.

Either she was going to do it, or she wasn't. And not doing it wasn't an option.

She stood, dismissing Rainfell with half a thought.

No one else was going to do it, so she had to take the responsibility.

She took one last deep breath, and felt again the emptiness of her stomach.

She stepped forward, slowly opened the door to her room, and slipped quietly out into the hallway.

Master Eraqus and Master Xehanort's rooms were in the other wing of the castle, and she had no time to lose.

…

Master Xehanort wasn't in his room.

Fear thrilled through Aqua's mind as she stole back down the hallway, her heart racing.

She moved as quickly as she could while still managing to remain silent, expecting to hear Ven's voice at any moment, crying out in fear or pain.

He was too young, far too young, but who was to say that even meant anything to Xehanort? Or Terra and Eraqus, for that matter? They were all from different worlds, maybe they had different rules.

Xerneas, she hoped they didn't have different rules about age.

But no, it wasn't Xerneas she should be praying to, was it?

Yvetal was the patron of windigos, and Xerneas the patron of the devoured.

She desperately hoped that she hadn't jinxed anything by asking Xerneas to guard Ven. She didn't know what she would do if anything happened to him.

But what if the rules here were different from back home? What if Ven wasn't protected?

Vengeance for hunting wasn't illegal, especially when it came to younger family members, but it wasn't something that was smiled upon, either. If Master Xehanort had chosen Ven, there was nothing she could do about it.

The castle's hallways and stairs had never seemed so agonizingly long.

She reached Ven's bedroom after what felt like forever, and held her breath when she slowly pushed open the door.

The room was dim, but it only took her a moment to spot him.

Relief washed over her so quickly she almost felt her legs give out from underneath her. He was still in his bed, still asleep, still safe.

She could see his chest moving as he breathed, and she could taste his fear on her tongue. But it was a dull fear, barely there. He was dreaming, and his worry about the situation still bled out into reality.

He was safe.

Aqua backed out of the room, trying to calm her heart rate.

Ven was fine. Which meant that Xehanort was either going after Terra, or Master Eraqus, or…

She paused in the darkness.

Maybe he was going after her.

She tried to picture it from his perspective. He was old friends with Master Eraqus, so he probably wouldn't be Master Xehanort's first choice, and since Terra was Master Eraqus' apprentice…

It made sense. She was targeting him because he was an outsider in the castle, and with Ven's age and Master Xehanort's rules hopefully forbidding the taking of ones so young, she was the logical choice. Terra had been training with Master Eraqus longer than she had, so Master Xehanort was more likely to go after her, to spare Master Eraqus the loss of his oldest and closest apprentice.

Aqua wondered if she should go back to her room, or try to lure him to somewhere else in the castle.

She would probably be better off fighting in an open area, so that she would be able to dodge any attacks that were too strong to block.

And she was betting that there would be a lot of those. You weren't given the title Master unless you'd earned it.

Her mind made up, Aqua turned away from Ven's door, and started down the hall again, feet pointed toward the main staircase as she activated her armour.

She couldn't think of a better spot for a fight than the throne room.

…

He was waiting for her.

In the dim lighting, crouched in the shelter of the stairs, Aqua could see him pacing on the far end of the great hall, his hands clasped behind his back, his shoulders hunched forward, his head bent, truly looking all his years.

He looked old, weak, and were she still in Kalos, Aqua wouldn't have even considered him a threat.

He had no Pokeballs at his waist, no one to defend him if he was threatened.

But this wasn't Kalos, and people here didn't always keep their weapons where they could be seen. Here, the best defense was something invisible and hidden. They didn't want to ward off attackers, they invited them.

Master Xehanort continued to pace in front of the three huge thrones, muttering something indistinguishable to himself, his hands clenching in what Aqua tasted as worry, anger, and frustration.

Confidant that he didn't know she was there, Aqua crept up onto the landing on her hands and knees, moving forward in a low crouch that was half crawl, her nerves buzzing and her head light.

The shadows were deep enough that she could slip into them with ease, but she was forced to close her eyes so that their glow wouldn't give away her position.

Her skill at reading auras was nowhere near as good as her grandmother's, but her mami had taught her everything her mother had taught her, and even with her eyes closed, Aqua could see the essence of the world floating around her like specks of golden dust.

Master Xehanort stood out as clear as day across the room, the dust around him spinning and twisting and writhing, dancing around the deep purple flame that was his soul.

She crept closer, stalking him through the darkness that seemed to have such an attachment to him

It was funny, because he wasn't truely a Dark Type. He had no real claim to the darkness, and yet, it followed him wherever he went, like a shadow that was constantly dissolving and reforming behind him.

Aqua kept close to the outer edge of the platform, pausing whenever her target was facing in her direction.

She could barely feel her hands, even when she continued to move forward, the metal of her armour shifting and molding itself against the floor like liquid so that she moved in silence.

Every sense was locked onto the old man pacing before her, tensed for the moment where she would get caught, and the fight would begin on his terms instead of her own.

But he didn't notice her, and in the back of her mind, she wondered with some derision exactly how he had become a Master if he couldn't sense her sneaking up on him. It wasn't like she was even a Dark Type, or even a Ghost. He should have noticed her by now if he had any skill at all. It was baffling.

Not that she was complaining. The closer she could get, the better chance she stood of survival.

She was barely more than five feet away when she paused, something that was almost pain skittering down her back and brushing past her heart.

Her hands and feet began to tingle like they had fallen asleep, and she released her breath suddenly, realizing with shock what it was that she was feeling.

Electricity, coursing through her veins, and gathering at sites of discharge.

It came on so suddenly, she almost wondered if she was dreaming. But that was how it always happened-one moment you were Normal, and the next…

The next you were something different.

She wasn't Water, she wasn't Flying, she wasn't even Dark or Ghost, the Types windigos usually became.

She was Electric.

Silence seemed to fall over the world as the glow of her eyes momentarily grew brighter, flashing yellow-gold even beneath her closed lids as the electric storm building inside her continue used to rise in power.

One moment ago, she'd been Normal Type. She'd thought she was going to have to rely on nothing but her strength and hope alone to win this fight.

Now she had another weapon at her disposal.

Beneath her helmet, Aqua grinned a feral smile.

Uncle Barden would be proud.

Another moment passed, and Aqua opened her eyes.

Hidden in the shadows as she was, if it wasn't for her armour and her helmet's tinted visor, all that would have been visible to anyone looking would have been two glowing yellow eyes.

But Master Xehanort, though he faced her, didn't notice a thing.

Then he turned away to continue his pacing.

It was sad, really. He had a chance to save his own life, but in the end, he as only human, with weak human eyes that couldn't see in the darkness he claimed to control.

Master Xehanort took a single step away from her, oblivious to the doom waiting to devour him.

And like a bolt of lightning, she struck, and the darkness was destroyed by the blinding flash of light that followed.

…

The world lit up blindingly white, bleaching the colors away and removing even the smallest trace of darkness from the room.

Aqua used her momentum to slam her shoulder into Master Xehanort's chest, knocking him off balance and slamming him roughly to the floor.

He let out a strangled cry of shock, but Aqua leapt atop him before he could react any further, stabbing her armored knees into his stomach to drive the air from his lungs, her hands slamming down on either side of his head, sparking and glowing with volatile energy.

The brain couldn't be eaten, it was taboo. The brain, and the eyes. They couldn't be eaten, but they could be destroyed. She would fry him from the inside out like a Magikarp. Then they wouldn't even have to worry about cooking him.

Electricity dancing up and down her armour, she grabbed onto what little hair he had remaining, and pressed her fingers into his skull, gathering all the power she could to her fingertips, her teeth bared in exertion as she drew on her new source of energy.

She needed to kill him as quickly and painlessly as possible. It wasn't a requirement, but it was the right thing to do.

Her Flash had been almost ridiculously overpowered, fueled by power that hadn't yet been tapped. Master Xehanort lay stunned beneath her, his eyes wheeling blindly, his hands twitching uselessly when he tried to raise them toward her.

Against the power of a newly awakened Type, even a Keyblade Master as old and powerful as he was didn't stand a chance.

But her new power wasn't without consequences.

Her fingers were starting to burn in pain with the electricity gathering in them, and her vision began to blur around the edges.

Once a Type had been awakened, their power would grow exponentially. But if they used up too much of that power before they had time to regulate its flow…

Bad things would happen.

Aqua knew this. But she didn't know how many volts it would take to kill him instantly. She didn't know enough about outworld human biology, or what his specific vulnerabilities and resistances were. She was going to error on the side of high, just to be sure. She had to be sure. She didn't want him to die in any more pain than he needed to.

She didn't want her first kill to be a cruel one.

She dug her fingers deeper into his skull, and watched his mouth gape open in pain.

Black dots danced across her vision.

Adrenaline refused to let her faint.

Some far away part of her mind realized that the burning in her hands had moved beyond simple pain.

She felt someone else entering the room. Tasted the metal of their fear on her tongue. The cloudy sweetness of their confusion. Heard their feet slap against the floor.

They were going to stop her.

She unleashed the dam of electricity in her hands just as something heavy slammed into her shoulder.

The Electric Type's specialty was speed. Their minds raced ahead, their reflexes were almost blinding, and in battle they could move so quickly that they seemed to teleport.

But in that moment, when she felt all the power she had built up leave her hands, the whole world seemed to stop and slow for Aqua.

She saw herself falling, shoved off balance.

Master Eraqus was falling next to her.

He had shoved her away from Master Xehanort.

She heard the warning crackle.

She tasted the bitter precursor.

She watched the electricity burst from her armored fingers, and knew that the skin beneath was blackened and cracked.

She watched as her attack went in the completely wrong direction.

Her hands weren't pointed toward Master Xehanort anymore. Master Eraqus had made sure of that.

All that energy, all that power, was now aimed at the ceiling.

Time abruptly sped up.

The blinding and terrifyingly huge blast struck the white stone and dissipated harmlessly, small sparks of electricity dancing along it in every direction, but barely a moment later a deafening clap of thunder loud enough to shake every bone in her body exploded into reality, physically knocking away anything that was too close to her.

Master Xehanort was sent tumbling along the floor, and Aqua had just enough time to stumble to her feet before her vision was swept over by a tide of darkness, and dizziness drove her back to the ground.

But she only let it last a moment, struggling to her feet with a snarl.

What was her Master doing? Master Xehanort had no apprentices, nothing to contribute to their way of life! He wasn't even nice! He was the logical choice!

She wasn't going to let her Master stop her, no matter his feelings towards Master Xehanort. It had to be done, and since no one was going to do it but her, she had chosen him! The target had been marked, this was her right!

And if she had to attack Master Eraqus for him to acknowledge that right, then so be it.

But Master Eraqus seemed to be stunned for the moment, so Aqua stalked to where Master Xehanort lay, her breathing ragged with more than adrenaline.

Anger coursed through her veins where before there had been electricity.

Unless Master Eraqus had targeted her, he had no right to stop her.

Someone had to die if the rest of them were going to live, and she wasn't going down without a fight.

She summoned Rainfell, and it appeared in an angry flash. Almost too heavy for her flagging strength to hold onto, the tip of the Keyblade dragged along the ground, and the pain in her hands made her want to howl.

But she gritted her teeth, and mustered all her strength to raise her Keyblade over her head.

It wasn't enough.

Her entire body was shaking, and her hands were beginning to bleed, the warm liquid pooling in the extra spaces inside her gauntlets. Her arm did nothing when she commanded it to move, and, dizziness sweeping over her again, there was nothing Aqua could do when her legs suddenly gave out from beneath her, having gone completely numb.

Rainfell disappeared in a flash of light before Aqua even hit the ground, and in another flash, her armour was gone too.

She hit the ground hard, and pain erupted all along her body, and she didn't have the strength to get back up.

She had failed to kill Master Xehanort.

Her vision had blurred everything beyond recognition, and Aqua closed her eyes, recognizing defeat for what it was.

Master Eraqus had gotten back to his feet, Aqua could feel his movement. He was shaken, but firm.

She heard his footsteps as he moved toward her.

She saw the glow of his Keyblade behind her closed eyes.

"Sleep."

Everything went black.

…

Ven curled deeper into his blankets, groaning in annoyance when the hand on his shoulder shook him again. Terra's voice sounded from somewhere above him. "Ven, come on, get up! Master Eraqus says the food is ready!"

Food? Ven must have been dreaming still. There was no food, they'd run out days ago. And something was wrong with the Lanes Between, so Master Xehanort was stuck here, and they couldn't leave to get any more food…

"You're lying…" He muttered, swatting weakly at the hand.

"No I'm not, just get up and I'll show you. Master Eraqus already has the dining table set up, so everyone's waiting on you!"

His bed was nice and warm, but Ven realized that if he was actually dreaming still, it wouldn't matter if he went to follow Terra. If he was dreaming, then in the real world, he would still be nice and comfortable in his bed, and if he wasn't…

Well, Ven would rather eat and be cold, than warm and still hungry.

He opened his eyes slowly, squinting when they met the bright light of his bedroom.

Terra's face was floating above him, grinning from ear to ear, even though he looked as tired as Ven felt.

But seeing Terra smile, he couldn't help it when his mouth turned up into one too.

Suddenly feeling energized despite how hungry he was, Ven kicked the covers off his bed and swung his feet to the floor, looking around in confusion for his slippers when his feet didn't immediately land in them.

Terra shook his head in exasperation, and kicked them toward him as he went toward the door. Ven had left them in the middle of the floor.

"Don't bother with getting dressed," he said, waving one hand dismissively when Ven reached for a shirt, causing him to notice for the first time that Terra was still in his own nightgown, "The Master doesn't expect us to stand on ceremony today."

"Cool!" Ven couldn't help but grin wider as he stuck his feet into his slippers and jumped off his bed, "Let's go, I'm starving!"

…

Ven would have run through the halls in his eagerness to get to the dining room, if it weren't for the slight dizzy spells that washed over him every now and then, forcing to lean against either a wall or Terra's side to avoid falling over.

The castle was a big place, and Ven had never been more frustrated by that fact.

By the time they reached the dining room, Ven was starting to wish he'd stayed in bed. His legs were aching, his head hurt, and his throat was gone dry.

He didn't so much sit down, so much as he fell backward onto his chair, his legs feeling like heavy weights.

Only after Terra had sat down next to him did Ventus realize that Aqua was missing, and so was Master Xehanort. Master Eraqus was sitting in his normal chair at the head of the long table, but Aqua's spot across from Ven and Terra was empty.

"Um...Master Eraqus?" He hesitantly spoke up, waiting until his Master turned to look at him before he asked, "Where's Aqua? And Master Xehanort?"

He mostly wanted to know where Aqua was, but it would have been rude not to ask about Master Xehanort too.

Master Eraqus's expression became saddened, and Ventus felt the cold breath of worry brush the back of his neck.

"Master Xehanort has returned to his own world now that the Lanes Between are traversable once more, and Aqua, too…has returned to her home world so that she might visit with her parents for a few weeks."

Disappointment settled like a weight on Ventus's shoulders, and he slumped down in his seat, shocked and confused.

Aqua had left without saying goodbye?

Terra leaned forward slightly so that he could see Master Eraqus when he spoke. "She left? Just-just like that? When? Why didn't she say anything? Ven and I would have seen her off…" He trailed off, and the hurt was evident in his voice.

Master Eraqus inclined his head, looking even more sad than before. "I understand that you are upset, Terra, Ven, and I am sure that Aqua would have preferred to talk to you before she left, however…" He shook his head regretfully. "There was a family emergency, and her departure could not be delayed."

Ventus sat up in his chair, alarm written across his features as he gasped. "Are her parents okay? What happened?" Now he was afraid. He'd been to Aqua's home world only once, and he would never forget how amazing the trip had been. But Aqua had warned him that as beautiful as it was, her world was dangerous.

So dangerous, in fact, that she and Terra weren't allowed to go anywhere by themselves. They either had to be with one of her parents, or they had to take a Pokemon with them.

Before he'd gone to Spira, Ven had never heard of a Pokemon before. He'd seen animals before, dogs and cats and birds, and Spira had normal animals too, but it was the only world that had Pokemon.

Some of them looked like animals, and most of them acted that way too. But Aqua had explained that Pokemon were different from animals. They were people, just like Ven, and Terra, and Master Eraqus.

Aqua's parents ran what was called a Day-care center, and it was their Day-care center that Ven had been brought to when Aqua realized that his body wasn't the right shape for his mind.

Before then, he'd known there was something wrong with him, but he hadn't known how to put it into words. And then he'd started bleeding, and he'd thought he was going to die. But Aqua calmed him down, and helped him understand what was happening. After that, they'd gone to her world so that he could feel better.

Her moms-their names were Mrs. Miette and Mrs. Jessica-had been happy to help, and were some of the nicest people Ventus had ever met.

And when they told Terra and Aqua that they would each be getting a Pokemon egg to take care of until they left, they let him pick one out too, even though he didn't need one like they did.

It would be a while before the eggs hatched, but Aqua had told him that the ones that they had picked out were going to hatch into something called an Eevee, while Terra's would become a Purrloin.

Ven didn't know what either of them were, but from The way Aqua had described them, he could wait for the eggs to hatch. It wouldn't be like having a pet, Master Eraqus had pulled him aside to explain seriously, it was like raising a little brother or sister. He knew Terra-and Aqua, especially-would be prepared for the responsibility, but he wanted Ven's promise that he would do his very best, and make them all proud.

If...if anything happened to Aqua's parents, or-or even their Pokemon, the eggs, the parents of those eggs…

Ven didn't know what he would do. It was too terrible to think about.

Terra tapped Ven on the shoulder, and he jerked back to the present, realizing with embarrassment that his eyes had gone glassy as he got lost in thought. It had been happening less frequently than before, but he still sometimes forgot when he was supposed to be talking to people, and thinking to himself. It was confusing, because he could have sworn he was talking while he was thinking. Or at least, it felt like talking to someone, except now he realized that he hadn't actually opened his mouth or spoken at all.

Master Eraqus cleared his throat quietly, drawing Ven's attention back to him before he could get lost again.

"It is a private matter, and it will be up to Aqua and the ladies Reyallad whether or not they want to share the details with you." He turned his gaze toward Ven and Terra, catching their eyes one at a time. "All I can tell you is that everyone is going to be fine, but they wish to deal with the issue privately. Aqua will be returning in two week's time, so, until then…" He gestured toward the table, and the bowls of thick stew that Ven hadn't noticed before. "I think it's time we broke this fast of ours."

…

Sahi lay on her belly, her chin propped up on one paw as she peered down from her hiding spot at the human she'd been given to.

As far as humans went, this one moved around a lot less than the other ones she'd seen.

But as far as nests went, this one was pretty cozy. The ground part belonged to the human that was currently sleeping below her, but everything more than six body lengths above the floor belonged to her.

Which meant that Sahi had four big walls all to herself, and the huge slanted roof above her with all its little spaces, and ten thick branches that spanned the entire thing from wall to wall, one of which she had already claimed as her new resting spot.

She would need to go out and gather sticks and feathers, of course, she couldn't have a proper nest without the proper furnishings, of course, but Sahi was certain that she was going to be very, very happy here.

Maybe she wouldn't even have to go out for the nesting materials herself if she didn't want to. Maybe she could ask that Furfrou to get them for her. He'd seemed pretty desperate to get her to help, and he was a lot bigger than her. What would take her more than ten trips he could probably do in two.

Oh yes, she liked that plan.

Switching which paw she used to prop her chin up with, Sahi blinked her eyes slowly, relishing how calm and peaceful it was in her new nest. In the forest, there was always sound. Whether it was the wind whistling through the trees, or birds singing, or the harsh clamor of fights.

Sahi had never known true quietness, but now that she had found it, she didn't ever want to let go of it.

There was sunlight streaming in from a spider-hole in the wall, and when Sahi opened one lazy eye, she could see little motes of dust dancing in the air.

The Furfrou had told her that the members of this nest ate three times a day, and always at the same time. He had caught her after the second meal, and had told her after dropping her off-literally, in fact, he literally dropped her from his mouth-in her new nest that they would all be eating again in four hours.

So she had only three hours left until she would get to eat again, which was better than anything she could have hoped for back in the forest.

Opening her second eye, and letting her gaze drop down to the human asleep below her, Sahi yawned widely, and resisted the urge to fall asleep as she folded her paws beneath her chin to use as a pillow.

All of this, this nest, the food…all of it was hers, and would continue to be hers.

All of this, and the only condition was that she sit near the human for at least fifteen minutes for every hour, until the human wasn't sick anymore.

Fifteen minutes was the shortest amount of time she had to sit near the human, but it would help even more if she could do it for longer. The human had damaged her charge cells by using too much electricity at once, and now she was having trouble replenishing that electricity on her own.

And since Sahi's fur was constantly filled with an electric charge, that meant that she was the perfect 'mol to help the human get back to her full strength.

And in the meanwhile, she had all the food and safety she could ever ask for. The Furfrou had even promised to train her if she did her job well enough.

And she was determined to do her job well. Emolga were like humans-they never evolved, they just grew slowly over time. But that didn't mean they couldn't get stronger, get bigger, get smarter.

Sahi wanted to be the strongest Pokemon in the forest. Almost every Pokemon wished for the same thing, but that didn't make it any less of a worthy goal.

Feeling another yawn on its way, Sahi closed her eyes and lifted herself up into a sitting position, putting one paw over her mouth to cover the yawn when she could resist it no more.

The human shifted below her, and past her wide yawn, Sahi was barely able to hear the soft whimper it gave.

Her fur stood on end in shock once she realized what the sound had been, and she peered over the edge of the branch, staring down in worry and alarm as the human began to move weakly, curling its paws to its head and pulling its back legs up to its chest so that it formed a little ball.

Sahi recognized the Move with even more worry than before. Defense Curl raised the user's defense. No one used it unless they were in battle, or very afraid.

Did humans dream? Sahi had heard that they did, but most wild Pokemon didn't know much about humans, and no one knew for sure.

But then the human made another noise-this one nothing more than an unintelligible-but heartbreakingly sad, "Huuu…" And Sahi realized that she didn't really have a choice.

Dreaming or not, the poor human was afraid, and if Sahi knew one thing, it was that Electric Types had to stick together.

Taking one more moment to smooth down her fur to ease her nerves, Sahi let out a few sparks for courage, then leaned over the edge of the branch, reached her paws out in front of her, and jumped into the air.

The air in her new nest was still and unmoving, and it took her a moment of wobbly gliding to find her balance. But after that, her carefully controlled spiral descent went smoothly, and she landed on the human's nesting spot without too much trouble.

Dropping to all fours, her tail fluffed itself up in alarm when she realized how big the human was compared to her. Sahi's entire body was barely the size of its back foot. And the human was as long as at least four of its feet, and that was when it was curled up into a little ball!

Chittering nervously, Sahi backed up several steps, trying to contain the urge to bolt. She'd never been this close to a human before, but she knew how dangerous they could be. Everyone did.

But she couldn't run away, she had a job to do! The Furfrou had given her this task, and she had to do it, no matter how scared she was.

Again, the human made a scared sounding noise, and again, it moved, this time rolling suddenly onto its back, its front paws clawing madly at the air as though to fend off an attacker. "Huma hu…" It whimpered, "Human!"

One hit from those paws, and Sahi would go sailing across the nest.

But she couldn't run away.

The human was afraid, and it was Sahi's job to help it get better.

Stealing herself for the worst, Sahi charged her fur up-and leapt towards the human's face.

She didn't know where humans stored their electricity, but most Electric Types she'd heard about were like Emolga. Their electricity was stored in pouches on their cheeks.

So Sahi did what her mother had done for her whenever she'd woken up from a nightmare when she was little.

She pressed her forehead into the human's chin, and began to nuzzle it gently, making sure to release only very small amounts of electricity into its skin so that it wouldn't wake up. All she wanted to do was help it get out of its nightmare. She wasn't sure she was prepared to deal with the human while it was awake, not now that she'd realized just how big it was.

Once the human began to calm and. Sahi realized that it wasn't going to accidentally crush her with its failing, she was surprised to realize how...soft its skin was.

Most Pokemon that didn't have fur or feathers either had scales, or were made of rock or metal. There wasn't much in between, and Grass Types didn't count.

She'd expected the human's skin to be hard, like a rock. Or at least tough. But the human's cheek was smooth to the touch, and as its movements continued to still, Sahi was able to calm down enough to realize that it was warm, too.

Keeping her cheeks filled with electricity, Sahi paused for a moment to make sure the human was asleep, then sat back on her hind paws with a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry, human." She whispered softly, patting its cheek with one paw, "It's okay, it was just a dream…"

Sahi found herself trailing off into yet another yawn, and rubbed at her eyes tiredly, half wondering if she'd somehow managed to use the Move on herself, even though she knew that was impossible.

No, she reasoned, she was just tired. It had been a long day, and she'd only had two naps, and the last one had only been a few minutes long before the Furfrou had woken her up by catching her, so it didn't even really count.

She dropped back down to all fours and nuzzled the human's chin again, enjoying how warm it was against her fur. It had been too long since she'd had someone to sleep with, and even if this was a human and not a 'mol, it was still better than the alternative.

Her mind made up, Sahi closed her eyes, plopped down next to the human's neck, and curled up into her own little ball with her tail as a pillow, enjoying the warmth that the human gave off, even as she could feel it absorbing the electricity from her fur.

It was...a good deal...for everyone…

Just as long….as Sahi…didn't...get...squished…

She fell asleep within a few moments, curled up in the space between the human's chin and neck.

…

Vanitas tilted his head to the side, staring down at the unmoving form of his Master.

Through the visor of his helmet, he could see the little swirling specks of red that crisscrossed over the old man's body, so he knew he was still alive, despite the burns that decorated his face and neck, and his unnatural stillness.

He had collapsed almost immediately after exiting the Corridor he had summoned, and hadn't moved since.

Vanitas had known there was a food shortage going on over at the castle, but he'd thought his Master would be able to deal with it without a problem.

Apparently not.

Vanitas felt a flash of...something...go through him, and shook his head, blinking rapidly to clear the alien thing from his skull.

The strangest urge to help his Master rose up in him, and Vanitas had already taken two steps toward the fallen man before he realized what he was doing, and backpedaled with a snarl, turning with the intent of walking away.

A moment later, he swung back around, fists clenched at his sides. He stalked right up to where his Master lay, summoned Void Gear, and without a moment of hesitation, slashed the Keyblade down at his Master's arm.

He willed it to pass through the clothes and flesh, but connect with the bone.

He heard a crunching noise, and a moment later Void Gear caught in the rocky ground, having done his bidding exactly. There was no blood, no mark to show what he had done.

But Vanitas knew that his Master's wrist was now broken, and that was good enough for him.

Smirking, satisfied, he banished Void Gear back into the nether, turned on his heel, and walked off into the rocky, barren gorge he called home.

He was starting to get hungry, and he knew that when his Master woke up and realized what he had done, he would be punished.

His Master wouldn't be angry with him-he had only done what was expected of him, after all- but he would still be punished. He was always punished.

Purple mist began to form around him as Vanitas walked, and he smiled grimly behind his visor as the Unversed began to take shape.

"Let's go hunting, shall we?" He asked mockingly.

He laughed at his own words, then dropped without hesitation into the pit of a sinkhole.

He could already imagine the bats screaming in fear.

…

Master Eraqus stared down at the communications crystal that sat on his desk, staring into its depths as though it would give him all the answers he was seeking.

How could he have been so blind? He should have seen that the hunger was hitting Aqua the hardest before she had a breakdown. He was a Master for World's sake, he should have noticed that there was something wrong with her!

But how could he have known what it would do to her? And even if he had, there wasn't anything he could have done to change it. The food had been completely and utterly gone. There weren't even any crumbs left that he could have given her to free her from the insanity starvation had driven her to.

Sighing softly, he closed his eyes and bowed his head.

He could only hope that spending time with her family would be enough to help Aqua recover from all that had happened, and to help her stop it from happening again.

…

Barden raised a skeptical eyebrow at the tiny Emolga curled up fast asleep next to his niece, but didn't make any move to wake either of them.

Aqua deserved to sleep, after what she had gone through.

After what she had survived.

He felt warmth building up at the top of his head, and struggled to contain the sparks that wanted to zap between his horns.

Cry? He wouldn't cry. Crying was for when you were sad, or hurt, and he was neither.

He was so, unbelievably proud. Pride was a good thing. He wouldn't cry.

He wouldn't.

Really.

Barden shook his head, then reached out with one massive hand and placed it over top of one of Aqua's, transferring some of his own energy to her.

She deserved it.

She had used up all of her own, going for the kill. He knew that she wouldn't have done anything so reckless unless she was trying to be merciful.

The sparks he had been fighting couldn't be contained anymore, and he stood quickly, wanting to leave the room before the popping noises they made could wake Aqua or the little Emolga up.

He wanted so badly to speak to her, to ask her, but he couldn't. She needed her rest, and she might not even want to talk about it if what he feared had happened was true.

He shut the door as quietly as he could behind him, and spotted his sister standing by the window, watching him quietly, her arms folded across her chest.

Ezekiel was lying at her feet, his eyes politely averted.

"Her Master explained the situation to me." Jessica said softly. "She was in control of the situation, she was the one that made the choice."

It felt like a weight had been lifted from Barden's shoulders, and he tilted his head back towards the ceiling, breathing out shakily in relief. "I thought-" he cut himself off, closing his eyes in remembered pain. "I thought she'd been targeted."

He would never forget that fear, that sudden, terrible realization that he was going to be killed.

But he hadn't been. He'd been the stronger one, he was the one that had survived. He was the one that had killed his own best friend so that he could go on living.

Jessica knew what he was thinking-they all did-and she came over to hug him without another word, her little human arms barely managing to wrap around his broad shoulders.

He hugged her back, careful not to squeeze too tightly.

Sometimes, he wondered what life would be like if he'd been born human. What life would be like if Jessica had hatched as an Elekid instead of him. All his life, he'd known what Type he was going to be. For her, and for Aqua, it was all uncertain.

"She's going to be alright, isn't she?" He whispered into her hair.

Jessica released him, and pulled back slightly to look up at him, smiling now. "She's going to be fine, Barden. She's a Reyallad, after all."

He thought back to the story Jessica had told him about how she had first met her life-partner, and found himself unable to contain a smile.

Any children born from that union would be able to take care of themselves, he knew that for sure.

And now that Aqua had found her Type, he doubted that nothing less than the planet itself could stand in her way.

And even then, he would still bet that she she would come out the winner.

…

Xehanort floated in a cloud of shadows, too weak to move, and in too much pain to even try.

He knew who had attacked him. He knew what Terra's armour looked like, and he knew Ven's and Eraqus's.

But even if Aqua hadn't been the logical conclusion to come to, he'd known it was her the moment she began to burn him with her hands.

Her visor-it had been dark and impenetrable. But her eyes, her eyes.

He'd still been able to see them.

And he'd seen them before, countless times. Every time he summoned his Keyblade, or Vanitas called his.

He had made a mistake in choosing Terra to be his puppet, but it was too late to change their plans now, far too late.

Regret filled his blackened heart with rage.

Because it had been staring them in the face this entire time.

The Eyes of Darkness.

They were blue.


End file.
